This invention relates to a combined stairway and lift installation and to a retractable stairway.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,457,402 discloses a wheelchair lift which includes an elevator platform and a plurality of vertically movable stair members. When the platform is in its lower position, the stair members form a stairway, and, when the platform is raised, the stair members are moved upwardly until they and the platform are coplanar with the upper surface to which the stairway led. This arrangement occupies space which is the combined platform area of the lift platform and the stairway. In certain installations, space is limited and sufficient space may be unavailable.